430exII vs. 600ex-rt for use on a Canon 7D

Please excuse me more being a newbie on Flash photography. I up to this point have only used the pop up with a diffuser.

I hear great things about the 430 for the money. I could probably come up with the $$$ for the 600. I heard that some of the features on the 600 wouldn't work with my older 7D.

i'm looking to do some outdoor/indoor portraits. I hope to move on to bigger things eventually.

I'm also looking to use the flash off camera with cable on an umbrella or soft box.
(any good for the money setup packages links would be greatly appreciated)

I'd love your thoughts and feedback.
Thank You!!

Well the 600 is obviously bigger and more powerful but the 430 is a great flash for the price. I've used mine on t3i, 60d, 7d and now my 6d.

You will only get two sided answers here. Value or power which decision do you want to make

Talley wrote in post #16014537
Well the 600 is obviously bigger and more powerful but the 430 is a great flash for the price. I've used mine on t3i, 60d, 7d and now my 6d.

You will only get two sided answers here. Value or power which decision do you want to make

will it be plenty powerful used under a soft box outdoors doing a family of 5 portrait?

MichaelLynn wrote in post #16014540
will it be plenty powerful used under a soft box outdoors doing a family of 5 portrait?

That might be your deciding factor. I read another 600 thread last week - guy was trying to shoot a group of 6-12 people and the consensus that even 2 600's would be difficult with that size group. For 5, I'd say you probably have to step up to the 600 for the power difference. Putting a 430 in a softbox outdoors and trying to shoot 5 people? Honestly, at that point, I'd be considering a strobe + softbox - maybe an AB1600 or an Einstein. You're going to need a big softbox!

mike1812 wrote in post #16017669
That might be your deciding factor. I read another 600 thread last week - guy was trying to shoot a group of 6-12 people and the consensus that even 2 600's would be difficult with that size group. For 5, I'd say you probably have to step up to the 600 for the power difference. Putting a 430 in a softbox outdoors and trying to shoot 5 people? Honestly, at that point, I'd be considering a strobe + softbox - maybe an AB1600 or an Einstein. You're going to need a big softbox!

Thank You, as I read more comments from around the web, it appears to be a better choice to go with the 600, I didn't realize there was absolutely no IR functionality on the 600. The st3 runs like 300 bucks, might be using a cable

MichaelLynn wrote in post #16014540
will it be plenty powerful used under a soft box outdoors doing a family of 5 portrait?

A softbox big enough to cover a family of 5 might not work with any speedlite. What sort of box are you thinking of using? If its a 28 inch speedlite box, backing it up far enough to cover a family of 5 it may not provide much softness. This is where you need a larger modifier, umbrellas or PLM's are better for this type of job although they can be challenging outside. Its not just power, but the spread of light. Its impossible to answer regarding power as that varies on whether you just need a bit of fill, or you are trying to suppress or kill the ambient.

MichaelLynn wrote in post #16017684
Thank You, as I read more comments from around the web, it appears to be a better choice to go with the 600, I didn't realize there was no IR functionality on the 600. The st3 runs like 300 bucks, might be using a cable

This is totally false. It can do IR or RF. Just not both at the same time.

Yeah it will do both. If you can afford it may as go for it and future proof because you never know. It is a very nice flash. The menus and button set up far better. The LCD lights up when any button is pressed unlike a dedicated button on the IR models. Also you can keep the LCD lit continuously. It is all going RT and one day you may want to expand. Even though restrictions are listed I have not heard of any real issues.

From the manual

A conversation I was in. The body in question is a 5D3 but there is some good info.

http://www.dpreview.co​m/forums/post/51588548

There is no doubt that the 600 is a fantastic flash - I own 2 of them, but in this case, trying to shoot a party of 5 with a softbox, I think gonzogolf's and my advice are more on point. To paraphrase the old movie quote - "we're gonna need a bigger light". The OP would be better served to get a strobe that can fill a large softbox with enough light for the purpose.

mike1812 wrote in post #16018264
There is no doubt that the 600 is a fantastic flash - I own 2 of them, but in this case, trying to shoot a party of 5 with a softbox, I think gonzogolf's and my advice are more on point. To paraphrase the old movie quote - "we're gonna need a bigger light". The OP would be better served to get a strobe that can fill a large softbox with enough light for the purpose.

Thanks to both of you for that idea. Would you just use the 600 on camera diffused for the extra catch light?

You can't beat strobes and I'd have them hands down if I had a permanent studio. For flexibility and percentage of use in the field as opposed to studio speed lights are just more practical for me right now. Outdoors is a tough one as you do need more juice. White reflectors can help on this situation.

digital paradise wrote in post #16018405
You can't beat strobes and I'd have them hands down if I had a permanent studio. For flexibility and percentage of use in the field as opposed to studio speed lights are just more practical for me right now. Outdoors is a tough one as you do need more juice. White reflectors can help on this situation.

Here are some shots I took yesterday using a diffused pop up on my 7d with a 42" reflector. I'm in desperate need of a speedlight. I'm even considering the 580ex2 if I found a barely used one for the right price.

http://www.flickr.com …8/sets/72157634​038564346/

The diffuser on the pop up won't do much for you, especially outdoors. Indoors for that matter as well.

Here is pretty good video that may help.

Videos - Tutorials - Lighting Tutorial. It gets into high speed sync but it may give you some ideas.

http://www.stansphotos​.com

digital paradise wrote in post #16018460
The diffuser on the pop up won't do much for you, especially outdoors. Indoors for that matter as well.

Here is pretty good video that may help.

Videos - Tutorials - Lighting Tutorial. It gets into high speed sync but it may give you some ideas.

http://www.stansphotos​.com

Thanks friend..